New Zealand Thrashes Pakistan to Seal ODI Series Victory

New Zealand continued its dominance over Pakistan, securing the ODI series with an emphatic 84-run victory in the second match. Mitchell Hay’s unbeaten 99 and Ben Sears’ five-wicket haul ensured Pakistan’s struggles on the tour persisted, with the visitors now having lost six of their seven matches across formats. Despite a solid bowling performance from Sufiyan Muqeem, Pakistan’s batting faltered yet again, making the third ODI a mere formality.

Toss and Team Selection

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan opted to field first after winning the toss, making four changes to the playing XI. Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Sufiyan Muqeem, and Faheem Ashraf were brought in to replace Usman Khan, Mohammad Ali, Irfan Khan, and Naseem Shah.

New Zealand made two adjustments, introducing Ben Sears and Rhys Mariu for Mark Chapman and Will Young.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Akif Javed.

New Zealand: Nick Kelly, Rhys Mariu, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell (c), Muhammad Abbas, Mitchell Hay (wk), Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, Will O'Rourke.

New Zealand Overcomes Stumbles to Set Competitive Total

New Zealand’s innings started explosively as openers Rhys Mariu and Nick Kelly took full advantage of Pakistan’s wayward bowling, reaching 50 in just six overs. However, Pakistan fought back with Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jr. striking in their first overs to peg the Kiwis back.

Sufiyan Muqeem then turned the game further in Pakistan’s favor with a brilliant spell of 2-33 in 10 overs, ensuring New Zealand did not breach the 300-run mark. But Mitchell Hay and Muhammad Abbas counterattacked in the latter half of the innings, stitching together a 77-run stand.

Abbas contributed a vital 41, while Hay stole the show with a stunning unbeaten 99 off 78 balls, striking seven fours and seven sixes. His late flourish propelled New Zealand to a strong total of 292.

Mitchell Hay’s unbeaten 99 was instrumental in New Zealand’s big target of 292

Pakistan’s Batting Collapse Hands New Zealand Easy Win

Pakistan’s chase got off to a nightmare start, with the top order crumbling under pressure. The team managed just nine runs in the first five overs, losing three wickets in the process. By the 12th over, half the batting lineup was back in the pavilion with only 32 runs on the board.

New Zealand’s pace attack, led by Sears, O’Rourke, and Duffy, was relentless, exposing Pakistan’s fragile batting. Faheem Ashraf and concussion sub Naseem Shah provided some resistance, stitching together a late partnership to prevent complete humiliation.

Faheem top-scored with 73, while Naseem chipped in with 54, dragging Pakistan to 208 before they were bowled out. However, it was far from enough as New Zealand secured a commanding 84-run victory.